Promised kept. WayV came back.

Five months ago, WayV first stepped foot at The Big Dome for the I Pop U festival. It was quite an emotional event for the Weishennie fandom as a few days prior, SM Entertainment announced Ten and Winwin’s withdrawal from participation due to health reasons. The four members who flew in apologized for being unable to perform and shared heartfelt promises of returning at a better time.

And on March 26, WayV finally made good on that promise, bringing the 2023 WayV Fanmeeting Tour [Phantom] to Manila. Excited Weishennies lined up early at the gates of Araneta Coliseum donning white, red, and, black themed outfits, some even wearing masks inspired by the fan meeting’s theme – Phantom. The night took off with back-to-back bangers “Kick Back” and “Try My Luck”, followed by the group introduction.

Hendery was the star of the sole game segment, opening his personal luggage for “What’s In My Bag.” Each item in his carrier bore a backstory, and he was quick to spin tales with items embedded to inject Filipino elements, like an abaniko and a Good Morning towel.

The game was designed to show a relatable side to Hendery, but as he unpacked, we learned about everyone else too. He brings nail clippers gifted to him by Yangyang’s mother, who Yangyang then proudly shared was also in attendance. Printed photos had them reminiscing about their time in the country last year, like dining on a boat and boarding a Vikings ride. They recalled fans screaming at them on the ride and checked if the same fans were in the audience. First-timer Ten mentioned a liking for polvoron and an interest in visiting Palawan, while Kun unintentionally spoiled possible Manila content by pointing out that they headed to Intramuros earlier in the day.

The group performed nine of their originals, including their latest single “Phantom”, and uber-sexy hits “Love Talk” and “Nectar”. A short cover medley included aespa’s “Illusion”, NCT Dream’s “Candy“, and SHINee’s “Sherlock”. They made full use of the outfit-change breaks to share a glimpse of songs that didn’t make the setlist. Kun and Xiaojun sang single verses of “Back To You”, “Sleepless”, and “After Midnight”. Meanwhile, Ten, Yangyang, and Hendery performed a snippet of fan-favorite “Low Low”, with the crowd supplying most of the lines.

The setlist was no surprise as there was little to no deviation from previous stops, but the joy of witnessing these songs live was euphoric.

A fan meeting is only as interesting as the artists’ personalities, and it’s only fun for the audience if the artists themselves are having fun onstage. The WayV fan meeting became memorable not only because of the boys’ talent but also their banter. The strength of their bond was reflected in how smoothly the show ran with the members carrying it entirely as their own guests, hosts, and hype men.

WayV delivered a great time with just nine songs and a modest production. It would be interesting to see what a full-scale production would unleash. Perhaps that’s what fans can look forward to.

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The 2023 WAYV FAN MEETING TOUR [PHANTOM] IN MANILA is presented by DNM Entertainment and In2une Entertainment. Special thanks to DNM Entertainment for the media invite.

Written by Marijo Endriga; Photos by Louise Arielle Elep